We sometimes define intelligence as the ability to use tools. Watch the problem solving and tool creation and use of Betty, a New Caledonian Crow in this 49-second video:
The most common definition of intelligence is adaptability to new situations. We can see this at work in these interesting adaptations of wild crows in urban Japan (2:16 min):
Nature has had a billion years to evolve sight and hearing—so our vision and auditory systems are extraordinary. Like the crows in the video, our problem-solving skills involving tools work splendidly as well. People are able to relate to one another and pretty well guage each others' emotional state intuitively. We are naturally prepared to pick up spoken language. And if we make our way to a new store, chances are we can find it again without much difficulty because while travelling, we unconsciously added the location of the new store to the map of all known places that we keep in our head. Basically, our brains do the “old” things well and the “new” things less well because the old things had more time evolve. Here are two lists: the things are brains typically do well (consciously or subconsciously) and the things we don’t do as well.
What human brains are designed to do well:
Sensory perception and interpretation of incomplete information
Visual interpretation of what we see
Fast interpretation of threat
Action on that threat
Short-term prediction
Short-term cause-and-effect
Calculating short-term consequences,
Unlimited long-term memory
Holistic analysis (intuition)
Mindsight: automatically interpreting the emotional state of others
Learning from experience: trial and error, imitation
Learning spoken language (while young), but NOT reading and writing
Music: rhythm, melody, even perfect pitch for some of us
3-D spatial awareness
Social Relationships with groups of 50 or less
Estimation and Movement – like catching a ball or throwing a rock
Concrete thinking and problem solving
Creative, divergent thinking
Working inside one’s native culture
Memory and recall of relevant information
Learning immediately-useful new information and skills
Making meaning of everything, even from a chaotic environment
Self awareness
Building the illusion of an intentional “self” interacting in a continuous narrative through time and space
Now for the flip side of the brain, what we do not naturally do well:
Long-term planning and consequences
Symbolic manipulation (reading, writing, math, written music)
School reading & English writing (because it uses a symbol system)
School math - Complex math concepts, numbers higher than 6, math symbols
Calculating exact answers (or doing anything exactly or accurately)
Learning a spoken language when older
Social interaction with large groups or many individuals (more than 50)
Indirect or multi-variant cause and effect (global warming, economics)
Following a step-by-step, unvarying sequence of steps or directions
Abstract thinking
Working outside one’s native culture
Accurate memory and recall
Learning things that are not immediately relevant
Performing tasks perfectly or error-free
Conflict resolution without violence or authority figure
Students come to school knowing their native language, able to relate somewhat to adults, and able to play with other children. They have learned these skills themselves with input from parents and their culture. Many children find reading and spelling to be challenging; that is not surprising because our brains are not equipped to naturally learn symbol systems the same way they are wired to naturally learn spoken language. If they were, we would all learn to read just by interacting in an environment of signs, labels, and miscellaneous text.
Many children have difficulty with math. Our brains have very limited native ability to deal with numbers and symbols so we shouldn’t be surprised. We don’t naturally work with great accuracy or perform sequential, step-by-step tasks reliably. We can expect children to continue to have trouble with math if we try to teach them math algorithms like step-by-step procedures for long division. We find children have fewer difficulties understanding graphs because they are naturally prepared to interpret visual information (but not numeric information).
Science classes may deal with memorization of information that has no meaning for many students. We should expect students to have difficulty memorizing unfamiliar Latin scientific names, chemical compound names, and other items without intrinsic meaning. Students’ incomplete understanding of math makes advanced scientific analysis difficult. However, many students love to learn the explanations of cause-and-effect in the natural world, and they often learn it quickly and naturally. More complex or emergent behavior with less obvious cause-and-effect, like ecosystems and climate, are not easily understood without serious study.
Students work well in teams, naturally bonding to the group and learning from the more skilled coaches and senior players. There is similar bonding in other groups like drama clubs or musical groups. The students in these groups tend to have fewer problems following directions than students in the classroom environment because the directions make sense for the task in context. Classroom work may frequently lack meaningful context for students.
As you develop a brain-oriented point of view, you will gain insight into some of the problems what we can expect children to have in school. This may lead to questions about how children are judged considering the many school demands that do not come naturally to humans. Of course, humans have great brain plasticity; our learning capability seems to have few limits IF students feel the knowledge is relevant to them or IF the knowledge is involved in a group activity. We can take advantage of our natural learning abilities to help us develop the skills that are not naturally easy to learn.
Explore this link for ideas on incorporating technology into instruction that targets multiple intelligences in the classroom.
The most common definition of intelligence is adaptability to new situations. We can see this at work in these interesting adaptations of wild crows in urban Japan (2:16 min):
Nature has had a billion years to evolve sight and hearing—so our vision and auditory systems are extraordinary. Like the crows in the video, our problem-solving skills involving tools work splendidly as well. People are able to relate to one another and pretty well guage each others' emotional state intuitively. We are naturally prepared to pick up spoken language. And if we make our way to a new store, chances are we can find it again without much difficulty because while travelling, we unconsciously added the location of the new store to the map of all known places that we keep in our head. Basically, our brains do the “old” things well and the “new” things less well because the old things had more time evolve. Here are two lists: the things are brains typically do well (consciously or subconsciously) and the things we don’t do as well.
What human brains are designed to do well:
Now for the flip side of the brain, what we do not naturally do well:
Students come to school knowing their native language, able to relate somewhat to adults, and able to play with other children. They have learned these skills themselves with input from parents and their culture. Many children find reading and spelling to be challenging; that is not surprising because our brains are not equipped to naturally learn symbol systems the same way they are wired to naturally learn spoken language. If they were, we would all learn to read just by interacting in an environment of signs, labels, and miscellaneous text.
Many children have difficulty with math. Our brains have very limited native ability to deal with numbers and symbols so we shouldn’t be surprised. We don’t naturally work with great accuracy or perform sequential, step-by-step tasks reliably. We can expect children to continue to have trouble with math if we try to teach them math algorithms like step-by-step procedures for long division. We find children have fewer difficulties understanding graphs because they are naturally prepared to interpret visual information (but not numeric information).
Science classes may deal with memorization of information that has no meaning for many students. We should expect students to have difficulty memorizing unfamiliar Latin scientific names, chemical compound names, and other items without intrinsic meaning. Students’ incomplete understanding of math makes advanced scientific analysis difficult. However, many students love to learn the explanations of cause-and-effect in the natural world, and they often learn it quickly and naturally. More complex or emergent behavior with less obvious cause-and-effect, like ecosystems and climate, are not easily understood without serious study.
Students work well in teams, naturally bonding to the group and learning from the more skilled coaches and senior players. There is similar bonding in other groups like drama clubs or musical groups. The students in these groups tend to have fewer problems following directions than students in the classroom environment because the directions make sense for the task in context. Classroom work may frequently lack meaningful context for students.
As you develop a brain-oriented point of view, you will gain insight into some of the problems what we can expect children to have in school. This may lead to questions about how children are judged considering the many school demands that do not come naturally to humans. Of course, humans have great brain plasticity; our learning capability seems to have few limits IF students feel the knowledge is relevant to them or IF the knowledge is involved in a group activity. We can take advantage of our natural learning abilities to help us develop the skills that are not naturally easy to learn.
Explore this link for ideas on incorporating technology into instruction that targets multiple intelligences in the classroom.